Mind Over Matter
by MissdaVinci77
Summary: The FBI requires the assistance of Cobb and his team for an unsolved gruesome case. How will the BAU team react when they realize just what Cobb's team is capable of? And will their unSub prove to be too difficult even for Extraction? Bit of A/A
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own neither Criminal Minds nor Inception._

_AN: So I saw Inception a couple days ago and fell in love/became obsessed. And of course Criminal Minds is one of my fav shows, so it led to this idea. Reviews are adored…_

…_.._

"_Our life is composed greatly from __dreams__, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together.__" Anais Nin_

The BAU team watched in apprehension as the odd group entered through the doors. It was led by a semi-tall man with eyes like steel and blonde hair, dressed professionally. He was flanked by a slightly shorter man with dark eyes and slicked hair, clothed in a striking suit and carrying a small silver suitcase in his left hand.

Following the two Hotch-like men was a young girl who looked out of place. Her expression was nervous and apprehensive, gazing about the FBI office. Her brown hair was hanging in her pretty face, and she was definitely dressed more casually than the two superiors. A middle-eastern man carrying two heavily packed black bags walked behind her, gazing in awe, like being in the FBI building was the coolest thing ever.

Finally, lollygagging in the back, was a tall man with a smirk seemingly permanently plastered on his face. Dressed in jeans and a casual shirt, he stood out remarkably against the professionalism of the two leading men.

Hotch, standing in front of his team, shifted uncomfortably at the team's entrance. He noticed how people seemed to give them space, not wanting to get in their way. Hotch briefly made eye contact with the steely-eyed blonde in front, and the man was the first to break the gaze, setting his eyes forward.

The new team walked straight into the lion's den, also known as Strauss' office.

"Hmm," mumbled Emily Prentiss. "Anyone else a little scared of them? Or is that just me?"

Dr. Spencer Reid nodded eagerly, eyes not leaving Strauss' office door, while Penelope Garcia gulped. Derek Morgan's eyebrows rose as he contemplated the team. Who, no-what were they? Definitely not FBI agents, didn't seem like CIA…

"I don't know, I love a man in a suit," joked Jennifer Jareu, leaving the group to get their case files.

"Dido, Honey-Pie, but Penelope also digs a smile every now and then," said Garcia. "It's like a little Hotch-army."

Hotch looked at her questioningly, while she just shrugged and followed JJ. Morgan and Spencer followed along behind the bubbly tech analyst.

Emily sighed from behind her boss. "They wouldn't be here if they weren't desperately needed."

"That's just it," said Hotch, brows furrowed. "We don't know why they're here. We don't know what they are…"

Finally accepting the fact that they would know in time, Hotch and Prentiss went to find the rest of their team.

…

It was about a week ago that Hotch had been called into Strauss' office himself. The first thing he noticed was how jumpy and agitated his superior was. She didn't sit down and fidgeted constantly. Strauss hadn't even realized Hotch had entered the room until he cleared his throat and was permitted to sit while Strauss proceeded to pace.

"You know why you're here, Aaron?" she asked, re-stacking her papers for the third time.

"Yes ma'am." She motioned for him to continue. "Zander wasn't found guilty. We have nothing to tie him to the murders."

"Fifteen murders, Agent Hotchner!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "And that's just in Virginia! We didn't even _count_ the others. Canada, Mexico, Utah, Florida, Rome, probably even the ones in Paris…over two hundred homicides and not a single connection!"

"I understand ma'am, but if we were able to locate the bodies, even just one-"

"But here's the problem, Agent," she said, sighing, and plopping ungracefully into her chair. "You _can't _locate the bodies. Not a single one, even the ones overseas."

"I know that, but the profile strongly shows that Charles Zander would not destroy the bodies. They're out there somewhere, not all in one place, but intact." Hotch didn't know what Strauss wanted him to do…there was nothing else he could do…

"Which is why-I, um, I'm bringing in a back up team," she stuttered, not meeting his eye. Hotch had never seen his superior act like this before.

"Another BAU team?" What could they find that his team couldn't? Nothing!

"No, Agent, a different kind of team."

"From the FBI?"

"No. They aren't government, per say…"

Hotch was stumped. "But—this is an unsolved government case. We can't involve the public. We don't have the authority to do that."

"Well, the director of the FBI was directly requested the help of this team. I'm just passing the news down."

"What kind of team are they?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I think it would be best if they explain their…work…themselves. Quite frankly, I don't understand it myself," she huffed, staring at a spot on the wall for a moment, before turning her attention back on the agent in front of her. "Agent Hotchner, you need to stress something to your team."

"What is it?"

"No one is allowed to mention this outside of FBI walls, is that clear? Nothing at home, to anyone, even family or friends. Nobody must know of what we will be doing."

Hotch felt unsettled and nervous as he responded. "Why?" he asked apprehensively.

"Because everything we are doing is completely illegal."

….

_Author's Note:_

_Hey, so I want to know what you thing bad. Continue?_

_Read and review and I will love you for all eternity :)_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

…

"_We don't know where our __first__impressions__ come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility.__"~ Malcolm Gladwell_

"Agent Hotchner, please bring your team into the briefing room. Now," ordered Strauss. Currently the team was gathered in Garcia's office. She was trying to dig something up on these people; this _other _team. So far, zip. It was like they didn't even exist. No registrations, licenses…nada.

Hotch looked at his assembled team. "Time to meet our help."

…

The BAU team wasn't surprised to find the strangers already in the conference room. They seemed the kind of people to get right down to business. The middle Eastern man continued to gaze about the room eagerly, while the 'smirking man' was leaning back in his chair, appearing to be thinking of all the things he would rather be doing. The woman looked up when the team entered, and dropped her gaze the second she met Aaron's eyes.

Their leader (Hotch assumed) was staring out the window, his back to the agents, with his friend with the suitcase stood next to him.

"Agent Hotchner," began Strauss, choosing to not look at the odd people in front of her, "This is Mr. Dom Cobb."

Cobb turned from his position by the window and eyed Hotch, sizing him up, almost.

"How much do you know about what we do, Agent Hotchner," asked Cobb politely, looking at the team with growing interest.

"Nothing at all," Hotch replied, not sure what to make of the man.

Cobb turned his attention to Strauss, who crossed her arms in front of her. "You didn't tell them anything?"

"I thought I'd best leave that up to you," she replied tersely.

"We don't bite, you know," said the smirking man lazily. He spoke with a British accent.

Strauss pursed her lips and said nothing to the man, instead turning to the BAU team. "I'll let you all get to it." She left.

If Cobb found her behavior rude, he didn't show it. Instead he turned to the team and said, "Tell me, what is it you want to know about your unSub the most?"

Emily spoke up first. "Where he is keeping his victims, whether they're dead or alive."

"Why?"

"So we are able to tie him to the murders," said Morgan, confused. Wasn't that much obvious?

"Stop teasing them, Cobb, and get to the point," chuckled British guy, and Aaron had to agree. There was a murderous unSub on the loose that worked for an even bigger murdering association, and no way to prove their guilt. He was not in the mood to be toyed with.

Cobb seemed to get the hint, because he continued. "Do you know what dream-sharing is, agents?"

Not even Spencer, the resident genius, knew.

"It was created by the military," said the man who was standing next to Cobb, "so that soldiers were able to practice shooting and killing before being faced with it in a war zone."

"However, that's not exactly how we use it," said the Brit, eyeing the team and winking at Emily, who visibly recoiled from him.

"We use it to extract information from the dreamers mind for our clients," finished Cobb. He was met with silence, until Derek started laughing.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you telling me that_ you _go into people's dreams and, what? Steal information?" He continued to laugh.

Aaron however, didn't laugh. "Listen, I'm really not in the mood to fool around so if you aren't interesting in helping us, please leave."

Cobb smiled as well. "Arthur, show them if you will." Arthur, the man in the suit next to Cobb, opened up his metallic suitcase to reveal a mess of tubes, needles, and a large monitor sitting in the middle, blinking slowly.

"What the hell is that?" said Emily. It made her nervous, slightly resembling a bomb.

Arthur held up a needle. "You put this in like an IV, press the button, and you're out like a light, dreaming in your own subconscious unless someone else is hooked up with you. In that case, one of you is the dreamer and one of you is a visitor in their dream."

Silence filled the room.

"It's true," said the Brit, swiveling around in his chair. "Wanna take a go?"

Morgan and Spencer turned to Hotch as if to ask, _They're lying, right?_

To be perfectly honest, Hotch didn't know what to think. Strauss wouldn't present them with this unless she was deadly serious. She wasn't a joker, everyone knew that, some learning it the hard way. But this whole idea was completely ludicrous. It wasn't physically possible. Was it?

"It won't hurt you," said the girl, giving them an encouraging smile and nod.

"Certainly not!" cried the foreign man. "It's pretty much just a nap, except you don't feel all too rested when you awake."

"We are here to help you, agents," said Cobb. "Show us a little trust."

…

They sat together in the bull pen; Hotch and the team along with Cobb and the Brit, who Cobb had explained went by Eames.

"So what makes you think you're able to help us? What's your plan?" asked Reid, leaning over his desk interested.

"First thing you need to understand is that this job takes a bit of time and a hell of a lot of patience," explained Cobb, cradling a cup of lukewarm coffee in his hand. "It takes time to gather all the necessary information about our subject, find out everything there is to know about him, his past, his dreams, and then convince him that his dream is reality."

"There's no way you can find out all that," said JJ astonished. "All the details? No one could ever gather them all and make it convincing."

Eames chuckled while Cobb just smiled politely. "Tell me, Dr. Reid, what do you keep in the right drawer of your desk?"

Reid looked confused. "What? Um, why?"

Cobb just looked at him, eyebrow raised. Reid cleared his throat. "Um, a couple books-"

"Be specific, Doctor."

"Fine, _Lord of the Rings _and _Facebook For Dummies-"_

"Seriously, kid?" laughed Morgan.

"What! I'm trying to learn it!"

"Check your desk, Doctor." Reid opened the drawer to find it empty except for a few pens and case files. "I just had them here this morning, I know I did…" he mumbled, obviously annoyed, looking up at the two strange men in front of him.

"Tell me, Agent Hotchner, does anything seem off in this office? A picture out of place? A strange face?"

As Hotch looked around, he noticed-one of Haley's friends! She was absolutely glaring at the team, face contorted in hate. What was _she _doing here? And what had they done wrong? And wasn't that Hotch's mailman? What the heck was going on?

"Not just the people, Agent Hotchner. Look closely." The room began to shake, while another woman brutally rammed her handbag into Reid's back, causing him to grunt and glare angrily back at her. "What the Hell!"

Hotch did as he was advised. Had maintenance re-arranged the desks? They looked slightly out of place. And the familiar gum stain on the far left side of the carpet directly across from Morgan's desk wasn't there. Janitors finally cleaned it up? The shaking got stronger, causing a picture to fall off the wall.

"What's going on!" cried Garcia, grabbing on to Morgan's desk, only to be pushed roughly by a man that seriously resembled Hotch's cousin.

"Hey!" cried Morgan after the back of the man. But he was ignored.

"Isn't it true," sighed Eames, bored, "that it isn't until a dream is done and over with that we realize the oddities in it? Like why your mother-in-law visited you at work? Or why the carpet is a shade darker?"

Silence gripped the BAU team. It was only broken with sounds of plaster falling from the ceiling and vases falling off tables and breaking.

"Stay calm! Don't move," said Cobb, suave as could be, smiling gently.

"We-we're not dreaming. Right? We're not dreaming," said Reid, looking about him, flustered.

"How did we get in this office? How did this meeting come to be?" said Eames, looking at the team.

"We were in the conference room, and then-we, um- we went here?" stuttered Prentiss. "Oh my God, no way…"

"Way, my dear," chuckled Eames, who covered his head, along with Cobb. The ceiling had officially broken through.

"But if we're dreaming, then nothing can hurt us," argued Reid, looking all around him like a kid on Christmas morning. This was amazing!

"Yeah, he's right. If it falls, then-"

Smack! Plaster and debris from multiple floors fell all over the team, crushing them brutally, and then-

Hotch sat up straight fast, making his head sway and ache. Looking down, he saw the needle in his forearm, and he tried to rip it out, only to have a hand stop him by grabbing onto his wrist.

"Hold on a second, it's too soon. I'll do it." Hotch looked up to see Arthur gently removing the needle.

He looked around at his team, some waking up groggily, others bolt upright like he was. Hotch noticed Reid's panic as he saw the tube connected to his arm and he ripped it out before Arthur could get it out first. Hotch decided to ask first.

"This-whatever is in that thing," he motioned towards the suitcase, "is it addicting?"

"Absolutely not," smiled the Middle Eastern man. "Completely harmless. And we use it extremely often. None of us have had any problems, and neither has anyone else."

Reid's grip on the chair slackened a bit and he leaned back. "That was amazing," he whispered.

"So?" asked Eames, looking at the team persuasively.

Hotch raised his eyebrows.

"Are we hired?"

….

_Author's Note:_

_Wow, feedback on this story was amazing! I'm glad you all like it! Now make me the happiest girl ever and comment again:)_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own either topic of this story_

_AN: Ok, so I got a lot of reviews about the drug not being addicting. Ye of little faith…the drug itself is not addicting, but the idea of dreaming and being inside a dream. I was going to mention it in this chapter, but you all beat me to it:) Enjoy, haha!_

…

"_Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality." ~Edgar Allen Poe_

Day two of the job. The BAU had been formally introduced to every member of the Extraction team after Hotch agreed that they were hired.

Dom was the ring-leader, the head of the team. The Extractor. He was the one who got the information from the subject directly in the dream.

Arthur was second-in-command, pretty much. The Point Man. He did the research on the subject, their life, and their surroundings.

Eames was the group jokester, but was still respected. Arthur seemed to be the only one he didn't get along with, which was understandable. Arthur seemed a bit stiff, and serious, much like Hotch. The Forger. He was able to manipulate his appearance in order to gain the trust of the subject or to cause a distraction.

Yusuf seemed eager to impress. The Chemist. He concocted the drugs necessary for Extraction, as well as some of his own personal brews.

And last but not least, Ariadne. The youngest of the group, but very intelligent and observant. The Architect. She constructed the dream, detail by detail, in order to make the subject believe that he dream was reality.

It was now time for the Extraction team to be briefed up to date about the BAU's current…situation.

…..

"Charles Zander, 35 years old, right hand man in one of the biggest assassination organizations in the world, Atrox. His most recent targets were fifteen people here in Virginia," started JJ, bringing his image up on the screen.

"Now that is one recognizable face, dearie," said Eames, leaning forward to get a better look at the screen.

It was indeed a recognizable face. His face was olive toned, with icy grey eyes and curly dark brown hair hanging just below his chin. His face was covered in stubble, his nose slightly too large and crooked, as if it had been broken in more than one place. But his most noticeable feature was the long white scar slicing down his right eye, right through his eyebrow and down to the corner of his mouth, making his face appear in a permanent scowl.

"He changes his appearance after every couple of hits," she explained. "Hair dye, fake facial features, cosmetic makeup to hide the scars…every time it's different. That's one reason why he is so hard to trace."

"And you're positive he killed all fifteen people?" asked Cobb, staring at the file before him.

"Positive," answered Hotch. When Cobb raised an eyebrow, he elaborated. "Each Atrox assassin has a kill signature. Zander removes his victim's eyes and tongue."

Hotch watched as Ariadne paled considerably and her eyes widen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arthur study her intently, before returning his attention to JJ quickly.

"Based on two eyewitness accounts, we were able to connect Zander's description to the most recent murder, but on the day of the trial, the two witnesses disappeared and there was nothing left to connect Zander to the murders. He was let go."

"The thing is, though," cut in Reid, "the same situation occurred in Mexico, Utah, and Florida. Witnesses prepared to give their testimony, but they disappeared before they were able to testify."

"Were any of the witnesses found," asked Arthur, leaning back into his chair.

"None," answered Emily bluntly.

"So you want us," began Cobb, "to find, what exactly?"

"If the witnesses are alive, where are they being held," said Morgan. "We find them, not only will we be able to nail Zander, but we might be able to shut down the organization."

"See, you don't _just_ want the location," said Eames, smiling eerily. "You want to destroy the whole corporation. One is easier than the other."

Cobb nodded. "Through Charles Zander's mind, we have access to more than just locations of witnesses. His entire past, lifestyle, his aspirations…they're all available to an Extraction team that is capable."

"Can you do it or not?" asked Hotch, his patience wearing thin.

"Of course we can, but we need to be clear about exactly what you need from us," explained Arthur calmly, ignoring Hotch's minor outburst.

"Through Zander, we can find the locations of his organization, where the leader will be, what they have planned," explained Yusuf looking between each FBI agent.

"But first," said Arthur, standing up, "we need to find out everything we can about Zander."

"Not just Zander," argued Eames. "Come now, love, you know there is never just one important person in jobs like these." Eames ignored Arthur's annoyance at being called 'love' and kept talking. "We also need to see how he interacts with his boss. We need to find a way to get him to open up about Atro-atrom- a something…"

"Atrox," said Reid, sighing.

"That! Why would he want to reveal all that about his boss? His _life?"_

"How long will that take?" asked Morgan, eyes narrowing. They needed to catch this bastard now. They couldn't waste their time with this-this-whatever the Hell this was unless they were sure they could get results. But their dream-audition was good…he had been impressed…

"As long as it needs to," said Dom. "If we rush into this, we will miss details, and the subject will know immediately that something is wrong. Our chance would have been destroyed before it ever took off."

So the Extraction team filed out of the conference room, leaving a BAU team with conflicted feelings about what they were getting themselves into.

….

"So what do you think?" came a voice from behind Ariadne, causing her to jump up from her position at the desk with her sketches in front of her.

"Oh God, Arthur! Don't do that," she laughed/sighed, trying to get her heart to stop thumping so hard.

Arthur just chuckled in response, laptop in hand, and positioned himself gently on the corner of her desk, making sure not to sit on her sketch. It was a rough draft, more like practice, since she didn't know what she would be working with yet. "FBI? Never thought we'd be called in to help those stiffs…"

"Ha! Look who's talking!" she argued. When he raised a mock-insulted eyebrow, she elaborated. "The suit, the serious expression, the lack of emotion…you're like that Hotchner man that never smiles."

"I smile!" he laughed. Truth be told, he only really laughed around Ariadne, especially when he was on business. When they were alone, the smile was a more permanent expression he wore.

"Anyway…" she deterred. "Why are you surprised?"

"Large government organizations like FBI, CIA and all those feds rarely call in Extractors. They're a bit…skeptic."

"Hmm, couldn't tell…" she said sarcastically.

Arthur nodded understandingly. After a moment, "Are you okay?"

She looked up questioningly.

"I saw your face while they explained what Zander did."

Ariadne cast her eyes down again. "It's awful…all those people. I'm just not as good as hiding my emotions as you…or Cobb…or even Eames. Eames even beats me!" she cried, frustrated.

Arthur gently slipped his hand around hers. "It's not a bad thing, Ariadne. Never think that it is. I wasn't able to stay calm like Cobb until my third year in the job. It takes time."

"But I don't want to stop feeling," she argued in a soft voice. "I don't want hearing about gruesome, horrific events to stop affecting me."

"It never stops affecting you," said Arthur. "But it becomes easier to conceal your feelings the longer you're in the business."

They stayed like that for a moment more before the two heard heels clacking on the floor. They pulled apart.

The computer analyst, Penelope Garcia, popped her head into the room. "Arthur? I'm ready for you to get set up in the lab."

"Thank you, Ms. Garcia."

"Garcia's fine," she said brightly, flashing a smile. "Or Penelope. Whatever floats your boat."

Arthur just gave a small smile and nodded. Once she was gone, Arthur stretched his neck, double-checking the coast was clear, and quickly leaned down to give Ariadne a short, but sweet kiss.

"See you in a bit."

And he left the smiling Architect to her sketching.

…

_Author's Note:_

_Atrox is Latin for Horror_

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


End file.
